The Joint Commission's 2007 prepublication standards show that the accreditor is paying more attention to issues of professionalism and communication than it has historically.
As a result, says Sally J. Pelletier, CPMSM, CPCS, a consultant with The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro, Inc., when obtaining references, professional reference questionnaires must drill down to obtain the information the hospital wants gathered on a practitioner's interpersonal and verbal communication skills, as well as his or her level of professionalism.
Pelletier advises that professional reference questionnaires meet the following criteria:
At least one reference must reflect personal knowledge of the applicant's current clinical ability, ethical character, health status, and ability to work cooperative with others
At least one reference must be completed by a practitioner within the same specialty or subspecialty areas as the applicant
At least one reference must be submitted by an individual (e.g., a clinical department or section head, or a program director) who was recently responsible for the applicant's practice at a healthcare organization
References must be submitted by individuals who acquired the requisite knowledge through recent observation of the applicant's professional performance over a reasonable period of time
If the references provided by the applicant don't meet the criteria, then the hospital must request additional references.
Note: Professional references shouldn't be provided by the applicant's current or former business partner, a practitioner planning to partner with the applicant, an individual from the group that the applicant is joining, or from a practitioner related to the applicant.
